For the Love of Pink
by DuchessRaven
Summary: My version of Silence is Golden. a cassiephatom fic with a twist. Someone is competing with the phantom for Cassie's heart, and it's not who you think. Endings are finally up! please R&R!
1. Chasing a dream

Disclaimer: I do not own the power rangers, even though I would like to :). Saban owns them and I just play with them.  
  
NOTE: this is my first ever fan fic. Thanks for the support, everybody who wrote reviews! I'm writing the chapters as fast as I can, but the story had a lot more details than I planned so please be patient :)  
  
For the Love of Pink  
  
Ch.1  
  
The vast space was eerily quiet. But to the phantom ranger, the planets and star systems flying by seem like notes on a sheet of silent music. He has been drifting for month since he last saw her.  
  
Perhaps I should have stayed last time, he thought to himself. However, the truth remains that he knew he couldn't. He had his work to do, and she...  
  
"She had hers," he said aloud to himself. He shifted his attention from the view port of the ship and turned on his status screen. It showed that he would reach Earth at 0200 hours. Excitement trembled through his entire body.  
  
I'm going to see her again. He leaned back and closed his eyes, drifting off to his favorite dream, where he held the pink Astro ranger in his arms.  
  
~*~  
  
Amongst the same black space, a less friendly ship roamed. The Dark Fortress wandered noiselessly, leaving a sense of terror and dread behind it.  
  
Aboard the dark ship, at the same moment that the phantom ranger drifted off to sleep, three figured gazed into space, an aura of disgust and hate lingered about them  
  
"This is disgraceful," said the yellow psycho ranger. "Those blasted power rangers has already destroyed two of us. And so soon!"  
  
"Oh so what," countered the black psycho. "Good riddance to those two, I say. They were nothing but trouble."  
  
"Well I don't see you doing any better," the yellow psycho turned to him.  
  
"The time simply isn't right," the black psycho glared at his teammate sideways. "Those two went after the power rangers by themselves. That's just asking for trouble. And speaking of not doing anything effective, u should really question yourself."  
  
"At least I have the guts!"  
  
"Are you calling me a wimp?!"  
  
"If the shoe fits!"  
  
The red psycho ranger, who has remained silent through all this, finally spoke up. "Quiet," he growled. "You're giving me a headache. So what if the rangers took two of us? Just proves that we are the stronger ones."  
  
"How are we going to beat them with less of the team?" asked the yellow psycho. "We're outnumbered and they have probably figured out more effective strategies against us."  
  
The red psycho gave her a look that almost made her shiver. "Astronama said she has something. As much as I hate that spoiled little princess, I must admit that she's got it where it counts. Now be quiet before I break whatever you got passing for a face."  
  
A mechanical door slid open with a "thud". The three psychos turned simultaneously toward the hall. As if on cue, Astronama strolled in, with her most trusted body guard Ecliptor close behind. Even though the queen of evil is very young and innocent-looking, her appearance has never failed to make the psychos uneasy. Her icy stare went from one psycho to the next, as if sizing them up to butchery. Ecliptor stood unmoving as if carved from cement. Astronama's gaze rested on the red psycho and a chilly smile found its way across her pale face.  
  
"Problem?" she asked. Her voice was like venomous honey, sweet and deadly.  
  
"No." The red psycho replied simply, trying not to twitch under her stare.  
  
"Good," Astronama said. "Because I do not allow pointless bickering or squabbles. When you work for me, you are not to waste time with your petty differences. They are no concern of mine. Is that understood?"  
  
"Yes." The red psycho replied, matching her cold tone.  
  
"Now that we have that straight, let's get down to business." Astronama moved to a nearby vidscreen and pushed a few buttons, bringing up several files on the power rangers. She motioned the psycho rangers forward then began to play the files. Several video clips of the rangers came up. The psychos watched intently. First there was the red ranger, shouting in battle, then the yellow ranger, asking another ranger if he was alright, then the pink ranger...  
  
"These are sound files of the power rangers' voices," she explained. "You will record them and remember them."  
  
"What good will that do us?" asked the black psycho after the recording was complete.  
  
"That," Astronama said, "will enable you to attack the rangers in their most unexpected and vulnerable state. You will take human forms and try to track them down one by one in public places, then destroy them, crush them one at a time like bugs."  
  
"But we're outnumbered," commented the yellow psycho.  
  
"True," the young queen said. "But you'll have the advantage."  
  
~*~  
  
Cassie Chan wandered the Angel Grove Mall aimlessly. Normally, this was the one place that cheered her up, but on this day her heart was just not in it. She passed the flower fountain the middle of the shopping center, but then decided to turn around and sit by it.  
  
She had split up with her best friend Ashley Hammond with an excuse of looking for something. But the truth was she just wanted to be alone. Ashley, been the good friend that she was, saw right through this, and went off to get her father's birthday present, leaving a gloomy pink ranger to alone with her thoughts.  
  
Cassie sat on a bench next to the flower fountain, her elbows propped on her knees with her head balanced on it. Her smooth black hair flowed down her bare shoulders, which were exposed by the pink tank top she wore. She looked at the people go by, but failed to see them. What she saw was him.  
  
~flashback~  
  
The piranhatrons came at her again and again. She didn't think she could hold on much longer. She felt dizzy and the next thing she knew, a blow came at her and she fell. They were on her like sharks and then...  
  
Then he came. Like a knight in dark armor he fought them off and offered his hand to help her up. She had gazed into his black helmet and imagined there were deep eyes behind them, returning her gaze.  
  
"Are you alright?" he asked.  
  
"Yes," she replied numbly. "Thank you, for everything."  
  
~end flashback~  
  
Cassie leaned back against the back of the bench and tilted her face at the skylight. Golden rays of sunlight rained down on her pretty china face. She closed her eyes and felt the warmth on her skin. Her mind drifted to that very first meeting. That magical moment.  
  
~flashback~  
  
"Wait!" she called to the ghostly form. "Who are you?"  
  
The figure turned and stood there as if studying her.  
  
"A friend." It said. Then it vanished, simply gone without a trace.  
  
"Hello?" she said gingerly. "Are you still there..."  
  
~end flashback~  
  
A single tear slid down her cheek. Cassie didn't bother to wipe it away. I should be over him by now, she thought. He's not coming back. And even if he does, he probably has no feelings for me. I should move on with my life and stop chasing this hopeless dream.  
  
~*~ 


	2. Merry Meet

Ch. 2  
  
On the balcony overlooking the first floor of the Angel Grove Mall, a group of three stood studying the crowd. On was a young woman with golden blond hair, dressed in a yellow T-shirt and black leather jacket and pants. She would be pretty if she didn't have a look of hatred about her. Another was a young man. Like the woman, he wore a black leather jacket and black pants but he had on a black T-shirt as well. His pale blond hair was curly and untamed, occasionally flopping over his angry eyes.  
  
Between them stood another man. This one was also young and dress in black with a red T-shirt. Unlike the others, he had dark brown hair that was smoothed over with a movie star look. Deep black eyes were set perfectly upon his stern face. He had a strong, invulnerable look that made his place as the leader of the group.  
  
The man in red turned to his companions. "Begin scanning," he ordered. They turned on their scanners and began to trace through the sea of voices.  
  
"Can you believe..."  
  
"And then..."  
  
"So what if he..."  
  
"Hello..."  
  
"What am I suppose to get him, Mom?"  
  
The woman's eyes lit up.  
  
"A tie? I can't get him another tie..."  
  
"That's her!" the woman in yellow cried. She pointed to a phone booth on the first story. "The yellow ranger!" With a swift movement, she was at the stairwell heading down.  
  
"Wait," the man in all black grabbed her arm. She turned angrily. "We're got to do this together."  
  
The woman snarled and wrenched free. "Then keep up with me! I'm NOT waiting!" She dashed down the stairs and looked around with excitement until she spotted the phone booth. As the two men caught up with her, she was already at its door.  
  
There was a girl in a yellow skirt inside, chatting eagerly with her friend. She shrieked sharply as the door of the booth was kicked open with a "bang". A hand seized her shoulder and turned her around face to face with a woman whom she was sure was crazy.  
  
"Ahhh!" she cried. "What are you doing?!"  
  
The attacker seemed to stop in her tracks. Her companion came up and grabbed the girl's face with such a force that it hurt.  
  
"It's not her!" he said angrily. He pushed the girl aside, who took the opportunity to run away as fast as she could.  
  
"I know I heard her!" the yellow psycho said.  
  
"She must have stepped out," the red psycho motioned toward the vast mall. "Split up and find her. She couldn't have gone far."  
  
~*~  
  
Ashley Hammond has been a little stressed lately. First there's the psycho rangers, who fight like clockwork and never tired. Then there's Cassie, her best friend, heartbroken over some stranger she doesn't even know. And let's not forget Andros, the cutest, nicest boy she's ever met, who's too shy too make a move and doesn't seem to know much besides battling. Now she had to shop for a birthday present for her dad in the last minutes. It just keeps getting better and better.  
  
She had originally planned to take Cassie here and cheer her up. But fat lot of good that did. Cassie's moping somewhere alone and she's here straining her brain to find something her dad will like. Ashley sighed and decided to call her mom for advice.  
  
The phone booth was rather cramped and the yellow ranger made a face at the sticky buttons as she dialed her mom's cell phone.  
  
"Hello, mom? Yeah, it's Ashley. I'm at the mall. What am I suppose to get dad for his birthday? A tie? I can't get him another tie. Oh forget it I'll find something. I gotta go now. Someone else wants to use the phone. Bye mom, I love you, too." Ashley stepped out of the booth and smiled at the girl behind her. "All yours," she said.  
  
The girl thanked her and went into the booth. Ashley couldn't help but notice that the girl had almost the same taste in cloth that she did. She walked off, musing at that, then decided that she will get her dad a tie after all.  
  
Before she got far, a crashing sound came behind her. Ashley whirled around and saw three people gathering around the phone booth, one of them was holding onto the girl who was using the phone. She almost rushed to help when she heard one of them say. "It's not her!"  
  
Ashley's ranger instincts kicked in. Rushing to hide herself, she continued to listen to the group.  
  
"I know I heard her." A woman's voice.  
  
"She must have stepped out. Split up and find her." A man.  
  
That did it. Ashley turned and ran.  
  
~*~  
  
The red psycho ranger went from one corner of the mall to the next. He was scanning the voices of the people intently, not wanting to miss a single one. The power rangers cannot escape him, and he knew it.  
  
Look at these pathetic creatures, he thought as he turned up his scanner another notch. They're so clueless to their doom.  
  
Several teenagers passed him. None of them were the rangers.  
  
Worthless bags of flesh, he thought. So far he had checked at least a hundred voices with no success. Great, just great.  
  
He halted just outside the area under the mall skylight. Sunlight wasn't exactly his friend. He preferred darkness at anytime. It was, in his opinion, very much like him, cold and unfeeling.  
  
He turned his head, slowing, scanning the voice of each person in front of him.  
  
Not it... not it... not it... wait  
  
His eyes stopped on a figure not far from him. An Asian girl with long black hair. As he watched, she tilted her head upward at the skylight. Sunlight bounced off her silky hair like beads of pearl. Her eyes glittered like pools of crushed diamonds. She had a light look of sadness on her face that gave her delicate beauty and grace. She had an angel's face and a powerful spirit that he could feel through his bones. She had on ripped jeans and a pink tank top on. He had once thought that was the tackiest color in the universe, but on her it was marvelous beyond comprehension.  
  
What am I doing? He shook himself. She's a human and I have work to do.  
  
But he couldn't bring himself to leave the sight of her. So he stood there looking at her for a very long time. As last, he decided that he couldn't pass her up.  
  
The other psychos can do the dirty work, he thought. I have to talk to her. He looked at himself, hoping he's presentable. But since he didn't know what human's presentable standard was, he decided he'd wing it.  
  
He approached her carefully, hoping not to look out of place. The girl didn't even notice he was there. He cleared his throat.  
  
"Hi, ahem, um, hi, I'm re... Ray." He said, wishing like heck that didn't sound as stupid to her as it did to him. The girl in pink turned to him slowly and studied him with a look of amusement. He noticed that there was a slight wet trail on her smooth cheek. She's been crying.  
  
"I, uh, kind of noticed you from back there, and..." this is so stupid, he thought. But it was too late to turn back. "So I was wondering if maybe you'd like to, I don't know, take a walk or do something with me?" There was a moment of silence that seemed like an eternity. Just as he was sure she'd laugh at him, the girl smiled. She looked even more stunning with a smile.  
  
"Sure," she said. Her voice was even and pretty, but it made him start. He nearly fell over from surprise.  
  
She was the pink ranger.  
  
He stood there unmoving, not sure of what to do. He must have look shocked or sick because the girl asked him, "are you alright?"  
  
Her voice was like music. The red psycho steadied himself and said. "Sure, yeah."  
  
"Good," said the girl. She stood up and extended her hand. "I'm Cassie."  
  
She was like a divine goddess standing there, with light pouring from her every pore into his dark world. The red psycho smiled also and took her hand. It was firm and strong but delicate and silky like a rose.  
  
"Ray," he said.  
  
~*~  
  
From a corner behind the flower fountain, Ashley Hammond crouched behind a mass of flowers, watching the exchange.  
  
"Oh no," she whispered. 


	3. The Trap

Ch. 3  
  
Carlos, the black Astro ranger, sat bored and frustrated at the controls of the Astro Megaship. T.J. had promised to spar with him today but backed out last minute because he had to study for a physics test. He tried to relieve his boredom by reviewing tapes of their fights with the psycho rangers, hoping to find some weaknesses, but that had turned out to be a flop. He hated to say it, but he almost wished something would happen, good or bad.  
  
On the other side of the room, the red Astro ranger, Andros, was scanning the nearest galaxy for the third time today, looking for any trace of Zordon. Carlos sighed. Sometimes his friend could be such a workaholic.  
  
In the dining room across the hall, Zhane and Alpha were having a staring contest. It was amusing to watch at first, but soon the fact that Alpha didn't have eyes clicked and Carlos left the two to their competition. He was about to turn on his favorite video game and a message blinked on the screen. Ashley, fully morphed and riding on her Galaxy Glider, appeared.  
  
"Carlos? It's me. I'm coming in right now. Get the others and meet me on the bridge, hurry!"  
  
"Huh?" Carlos took time to process this. "Ok, I got it. Guys! It's Ashley. I think something's wrong."  
  
Even before Zhane and Alpha made it across the hall, Ashley rushed in, panicking like a cat in heat.  
  
"Guys? Oh my god!" She panted. "They... They were there... and I think Cassie's... Oh god!"  
  
"Ashley," Andros said, putting his hands on her shoulders to sooth her. "Calm down. Take off your helmet first. What happened to Cassie? Wasn't she with you?"  
  
The yellow ranger took a deep breath and removed her helmet with as much control as she could exert on herself. "Ok," she said. "I was at the mall with her, and..."  
  
The other rangers listened intently as Ashley told the whole story. Even Carlos decided he didn't need this much excitement.  
  
"...and when I found her I saw her talking the red psycho and I couldn't go near her because they know my voice and..."  
  
"Whoa, wait," T.J. suddenly said. "Talking to the red psycho? Why didn't he attack her if he tried to attack you?"  
  
"Well see, that's the strange part," Ashley said. "It sounded like he was asking her out. He was all nice and stuff."  
  
"It's probably a trick," said Zhane.  
  
Andros nodded thoughtfully. "Let's not rush into things," he said. "If it's a trap, we don't want to set it off. Let's go keep and eye on them for anything suspicious. And if anything happens, we want to be near enough to help."  
  
"Right," the others replied and headed for the launch chutes.  
  
~*~  
  
"Dessert?" The waiter asked, offering the menus.  
  
"Sure," said Ray, accepting them and handing one to Cassie.  
  
"Oh, I couldn't possibly," said Cassie.  
  
"We'll share one," said her companion. "What's a meal without a proper dessert? How does the chocolate covered strawberries sound to you?"  
  
"Oh! That's my favorite!" Cassie exclaimed. "Alright, you talked me into it."  
  
As she watched Ray order, the pink ranger couldn't help it but smile. They had left the mall and spent the afternoon together at the park, mostly walking and talking, then sitting by the lake, watching the kids play. Ray was a rather unique character. He was silent and somewhat icy at first, and never seemed to find the right words for anything. But as she talked to him, he opened up and spoke to her openly. His sarcastic sense of humor was rather charming at times and even when he carried it too sharply, she simply fired right back, which he seemed to like. By the time they decided to stop for an early dinner, he had begun to hold her hand gently, as if very afraid she'd reject him. Cassie had grinned at the gesture and put her head on his muscular shoulder. It felt good. In fact, the best in a long time.  
  
And for the first time in months, she had managed to push the phantom ranger a bit further back in her mind.  
  
The strawberries came. Ray took one and lifted it to Cassie's lips playfully. "Open up," he said with a sly smile.  
  
Cassie bit into the strawberry. It was sweet and smooth, just the way she liked it. She savored it slowly, feeling the juice flow in her mouth. Then she noticed that Ray was staring at her with an adoring look that made her blush.  
  
"What are you looking at?" she asked quietly.  
  
"You," he said. "Just thinking that I didn't know what beauty was until today."  
  
Cassie leaned forward, put one hand on his neck and drew him close until their lips touched. They kissed with both human and alien passion.  
  
It's like fireworks, Cassie thought.  
  
This is better than everything and anything from a lifetime of darkness, he thought.  
  
~*~  
  
They were at the lake again, sitting on the grass watching the sunset on the grass. The park was closed, but the attendant had somehow overlooked them. The red psycho had almost begun to think of himself as Ray. The pink ranger was sitting next to him with her hands around her up-bent knees and her head on his shoulder. He put his arm around her soft shoulders and pulled her close. She looked like a beautiful nymph in the dusk.  
  
Part of him kept asking what the heck he was doing spending a sappy moment with a power ranger. But another part was filled with a new happiness that he had never experienced before, one that filled him with joy, excitement, but also a beautiful peace and tranquility and an urge to give up everything in the universe to spend another day with her.  
  
"I have to go," he said to her with deep regret. She looked up at him with disappointment. "I really wish I could stay but I should go." He stood up then helped Cassie do the same.  
  
"Ok," she asked. "Call me?"  
  
I wish, he thought. I really, REALLY wish.  
  
"I'll try," he replied. She smiled and gazed into his eyes. The red psycho held her hands tightly and moved for one last kiss.  
  
"Good job, psycho red." A voice came from behind them. Both rangers jumped at the sound. With a flash of light, Astronama appeared, behind her were Ecliptor and the yellow and black psycho rangers. "Now bring her to me. I have plans for her."  
  
"What?!" Cassie pulled away from him with shock. "You're a psycho ranger?!"  
  
"I...I..." the red psycho was tongue-tied, unsure of what to do.  
  
"Think you're taking me? You're wrong!" Before he could react, Cassie dealt a powerfully blow squarely at his jaw and in the time it took for the stars to clear, she whipped out her morpher. "Let's rocket!" she cried.  
  
"Get her!" Astronama cried to her posse. In a second, the other psycho rangers were on Cassie, restraining her forcefully. As the red psycho watched, Astronama strolled past him toward the pink ranger.  
  
"Not bad," said the queen of evil. "You're smarter than I thought."  
  
The red psycho was stunned. Normally, he would have loved to look in front of the other psychos, but now it was the last thing on his mind. The pink ranger was staring at him with such hate that he thought he might fall.  
  
"You filthy liar!" she cried at him. The other two psychos had pinned her arms behind her. "I can't believe I fell for that. You sneaky son of a ..."  
  
"Ah, ah, ah," Astronama waved her finger playfully. "Let's not have profanities, shall we?" She turned to Ecliptor and the red psycho. "Take her to the cell. She'll be of great use to us."  
  
~*~  
  
Ashley raced across the grass, her communicator held in front of her. Closer behind her followed Andros, then Zhane, Carlos, and T.J.  
  
"I just got a signal on her morpher!" she cried. "I think she just morphed."  
  
"Something must be wrong," said Andros. "Let's rocket!"  
  
With a flash of light, four rangers dashed through the park toward the lake.  
  
~*~  
  
"Let's go," said the yellow psycho, jerking the pink ranger's arm with such force that she cried out in pain. The red psycho, who has taken his ranger form, twitched at the sound.  
  
The pink ranger has struggled at first, kicking and fighting, followed by a string of colorful phrases, mainly directed at him. But soon the other two psychos overpowered her and forced her to the ground. She finally stopped resisting and fell silent. Astronama and Ecliptor had watched emotionlessly. As the two psychos dragged the pink ranger to her feet, her head was hung listlessly in defeat. Psycho Red was suddenly reminded of the tear trail he had seen on her face when they first met.  
  
What if I made her cry again, he thought. A brand new wave of guild flooded him.  
  
But it took a lot to make the pink ranger cry and at the moment she was nowhere near it. Instead, she craned her neck and cast a hateful gaze at the red psycho ranger. He briefly wondered if there was a black hole he could throw himself into.  
  
"Come," said Astronama. "Time's a wasting."  
  
"Not so fast!" a voice cried. The group, including Cassie, looked up. Five Astro rangers stood not far away, their blasters up and ready, aimed at Astronama.  
  
"Drop her, you fashion freak!" said the yellow ranger.  
  
The red ranger took a step forward. "Karone," he said gently. "Please don't do this."  
  
Astronama was still for a moment then she laughed, a cruel sound that echoed through the skies. "Nice try, rangers," she said. "But you're too late." She held out her hand and a powerful purple thunderbolt came shooting out at the rangers. By the time they got back on their feet, the park was empty.  
  
~*~ 


	4. The Search

Ch. 4  
  
"I can't believe it!" Ashley said angrily. "I KNEW it was a trick!"  
  
"We have to find her," T.J. said. "Astronama may be Karone but she's evil right now we don't know what she might do to Cassie."  
  
"Alright," Andros said. He turned to Alpha. "Alpha, turn on all scanners to max, we'll start on earth and extend to the nearby galaxies. Set intensity at 15 micros, and..."  
  
"Ranger, one moment please," a female voice came from the speakers. D.E.C.A., the onboard computer, turned its monitor to the teens. "You have an incoming message."  
  
"Tell whoever it is to wait," said Zhane, heading for the nearest controls.  
  
D.E.C.A. paused. "I believe it's the phantom ranger," she said.  
  
The rangers stopped and looked at each other.  
  
"He may need out help," said T.J.  
  
"Could be," said Carlos. "If not, maybe he'll help us find out what's up with Cassie."  
  
"D.E.C.A., direct the message to the main viewing screening," Andros commanded as they gathered around the main screen.  
  
~*~  
  
The phantom ranger stood aboard his ship. For a moment he thought the rangers weren't going to answer him. He almost hung up when the vidscreen blinked. Five rangers appeared.  
  
"Greetings, power rangers," the phantom said pleasantly. "It's been a while. How are things on Earth?" There was a moment of silence when none of the rangers seemed to know what to say. They looked distracted.  
  
"I'm afraid you've got us at a bad time," said the black ranger.  
  
The phantom scanned them for and answer and suddenly realized that the one ranger he had most anticipated to see was not there.  
  
"Where's Cassie?" He asked gingerly, as if afraid to set off a powder keg.  
  
"She's, she's in trouble," the yellow ranger said. The phantom felt as if he'd been shot in the stomach.  
  
"What?" he said, not meaning for it to sound as bitter as it did.  
  
"I was with her at the mall," the yellow ranger (Ashley, as he remembered) said, obviously worried. "We split up and I ran into the psycho rangers and they took human forms and were tracking me by my voice so I got away and went to get Cassie but when I found her she was talking to the red psycho ranger except he wasn't attacking her and it sounded really weird because it was like he was asking her out and we followed her and it turned out to be a trap and now Astronama's got her and now we don't know where she took her and we were gonna go look for her and you called and..." she inhaled. "Will you help us look for her?"  
  
The phantom was numb. A thousand thought ran through his mind at once. First there was Cassie, fighting like a falcon and singing like a nightingale. Then there was the psycho rangers, nothing but trouble, and the red one actually had the nerve to make a move (at least pretend to) on Cassie. Lastly himself, traveling thousands of light-years to finally proclaim his love to the pink ranger, now welcomes with the news that she might be in grave danger. He was shocked, then anger welled up in him like bubbling lava.  
  
"Yes," he said, his peasant demeanor took a 180 degree turn. "Yes, I will. And good luck to your search too." He turned off the screen before they could reply.  
  
The phantom sat down in his chair, his hands held so tightly in fists that his knuckles turned white underneath the armor.  
  
I'll find you, Cassie, he thought. If I have to look to the end of the universe, I'll find you.  
  
However, if he knew Astronama, which he did, the phantom did knew he did not have to look far, which isn't exactly a comforting thought...  
  
~*~  
  
Cassie woke on a cold metal floor. She tried to turn her neck and groaned in pain as the sore muscles complained. Sitting up, she did a quick check of body parts, found nothing missing, and began to survey her surrounding.  
  
She was in a dark room. It looked a bit like a cave, but that was just a disguise. A heavy metal door guarded by two Quantrons was a few feet away. Neither of the Quantrons bothered to look at her as she examined the room.  
  
The pink ranger knew well what this place was. A while back, she had had a fight with Ashley, and the psychos took the chance to capture her friend and hold her hostage. When Ashley returned and the two of them made, she had told Cassie of the place where they held her. It was a chamber in what seemed to be a rocky hill, but is actually one of the psychos' operating bases.  
  
Looking at herself, Cassie saw that she still had her uniform and helmet on, but her communicator was gone and so were her weapons. But why did they leave her morphed? Weren't they afraid she'd fight her way out?  
  
Not that she was in any condition for that, mind you. Her chest hurt every time she took a breath. An X-ray would show two hairline fractures on one of her ribs. Two spots on her left thigh throbbed painfully. The pink ranger was sure that if she were to roll up the leg of her uniform, she'd see two huge bruises the color of plums. Her head ached and the ringing in her ears might go away with a pound of aspirin.  
  
Great, she thought. Just great.  
  
~*~  
  
The yellow and black psycho rangers observed their leader with suspicion and curiosity. He hasn't said a thing since the pink ranger's capture, and knowing him, he should be gloating his head off right now. Instead, the red psycho ranger had stood at the window, watching the galaxies go by silently, totally oblivious of everything else. The two decided it's best not to ask.  
  
"Psycho rangers." They turned, except for psycho red, who seemed not to have heard Astronama's call, or anything for that matter.  
  
The queen of evil was not pleased as this. She lifted her staff and dealt the red psycho a shot of electricity. He spun around angrily. "What do you want?" he said, his voice dripped with disdain.  
  
"I want you to get your rear in gear," Astronama said. She turned to the other psychos. "I need the three of you to go to Earth and grab a couple of humans."  
  
"And do what with them?" the black psycho asked.  
  
"Throw them into the cell with the pink ranger," —Psycho Red jerked at that— "we'll be using them as bait to lure in the other rangers."  
  
"What for?" Psycho Yellow asked. "We already have her, and she's too roughed up to help them."  
  
"True," Astronama replied with a chilling voice. "But she is still a ranger. If they come after her, she'll just pick up and go with them, fighting their way out. But if we had a couple of numbskull humans in the cell, they'll slow them down significantly. And although I would like to torture the rangers myself, if worse comes to worst, we'll just blast them into oblivion together."  
  
The psychos nodded, except for red, who seemed to have drifted off again. The other two expected the evil queen to blow up and thrash him, but Astronama suddenly smiled and walked out.  
  
"Come on," said Psycho Black. "Let's go grab a couple of flesh bags."  
  
Psycho Red turned to him sharply. "Say that again and you'll regret you were born with a mouth."  
  
~*~  
  
The Surf Spot was getting ready to close for the night. The owner, loud, honest, tough-loving Adele was cleaning the last of the smoothie machines for tomorrow. There were only two people besides her in the restaurant, sitting at the bar drinking big cups of milkshakes.  
  
"Say Bulky," Skull said to his friend. "You think we'll ever see aliens?"  
  
Bulk took a break from his shake. "Skull," he said. "The problem is that we see too many aliens. Remember the big bee?"  
  
"Oh yeah..." Skull slumped forward onto the bar. They had spent the day with Professor Phenomenus , driving in his van and stalking around the woods testing out his new "alien tracker/buster." All they got was a huge disappointment and poison ivy.  
  
"Our problem," Bulk continued, "is that we can't do anything about it. I mean, we've been seeing aliens as long as the power rangers, and we can't do anything about them. They fly and they bite and they smell bad." He took a long drink from his cup.  
  
"Oh yeah, the power rangers," Skull mumbled, his chin pressed against the bar. "They're cool."  
  
Adele sighed. She sees a lot of weirdos in her line of business, but these two and that old guy in a Scooby-Doo truck who called himself Professor Phenomenus really raise the standards of the word "strange".  
  
"Guys," she said at last. "I'm trying to close here. You mind taking the shakes and aliens somewhere else?"  
  
"Sure, sure," Bulk said. "Soon as the professor gets back. He went to get a gadget for his alien buster. He'll be here in a sec."  
  
As if on cue, the restaurant's door slammed open and the professor, one hand holding his "alien buster", which to Adele looked like something won at a carnival, and the other hand waving wildly.  
  
"Aliens!!" he cried. "Run for your life!"  
  
"Look, pops," Adele said with a hint of impatience. "You just turn around and go tell them to go somewhere else because I don't serve no aliens here."  
  
"Really?" a menacing voice came from behind the professor. Three figures stepped out from the shadows. "That's too bad."  
  
"Ahhh! Aliens!" Bulk and Skull shrieked and jumped for the other side of the room.  
  
"Don't worry!" the professor said. "I'll get them with my alien tracker/buster!" He raised it and pointed one end at the three.  
  
It blinked, then hummed. Then one of the three, dressed in yellow armor, reached out and yanked it from the professor's hand. The four humans watched helplessly as the "alien buster" was reduced to scrap.  
  
"Pathetic," it said.  
  
~*~ 


	5. Warm Heart

Ch. 5  
  
Cassie leaning back against the hard, lumpy stone wall and stared up at the ceiling. She had no idea what she was going to do. She couldn't contact her friends, or anyone, for that matter, and she wasn't strong enough to fight her way out. She folded her hands and rested them on her stomach. Nothing to do but wait.  
  
She turned and saw the two Quantrons guarding her. "Hey!" she called. "You guys wouldn't happen to have a deck of cards or something, would you?" If the Quantrons heard, they gave no sign.  
  
Staring at the wall opposite of her, Cassie's thoughts wandered to the Ray. The laughs they shared, the afternoon they spent together, the way he made her forget anything and everything upsetting...  
  
I can't believe I kissed him, she thought. He doesn't even exist.  
  
The red psycho had made make a fool out of her, playing with her emotions and then getting her into this. She couldn't understand how she could have been so naive, or how he could have so convincingly acted the way he did as Ray.  
  
I hate him, she thought angrily. I hate him so much! I think...  
  
The pink ranger shook her head hard. Of course she hated him, and if she thought any otherwise she must have hit her head too hard.  
  
...or actually liked him...  
  
Cassie sighed. Life was throwing her the worst curveball ever.  
  
~*~  
  
Five very unhappy rangers stood on the bridge of the Astro Megaship. Cassie's signal had vanished without a trace. They had scanned five whole galaxies with no result. Ashley kept running up and down the halls, checking every chart for anything they might have missed. The boys were getting cranky from not have eaten in the last twelve hours, but couldn't bear to leave the controls. Alpha was been ignored altogether. He stood at the a computer screen on the side, double-checking the data without much enthusiasm left in him.  
  
"D.E.C.A., rescan Earth," said T.J.  
  
"Teej, we've already gone over Earth," Carlos said tiredly. "We found nothing last time, and frankly I'm not surprised that we didn't find anything. I mean, I'd bet a million dollars that Astronama wouldn't hide Cassie on..."  
  
"Wait," Zhane suddenly said. He pointed to a blinking light on the main screen. "Zoom in," he said to D.E.C.A.  
  
The spot proved to be unidentifiable, however. It was an area of only a few square miles, emitting a large amount of energy.  
  
"It is a concentration of electromagnetic power generators," said D.E.C.A.  
  
"In other words," Andros suddenly cut in, "a force shield."  
  
The others were already heading for the launch chutes.  
  
"Hold it," he called. "It might be a trap."  
  
"Trap or not," Ashley said, not stopping "It means that she's there, or at least we're a little closer."  
  
"Alright," Andros joined them. "But we'll have to be very carefull. D.E.C.A., Alpha, while we're gone, see if you can break the force field."  
  
"Okey-dokey," Alpha replied. "Good luck!"  
  
Grabbing his morpher, T.J. gave Carlos a smug look. "You owe me a million bucks," he said.  
  
~*~  
  
In the space not far from Earth, the phantom ranger's one-man ship circled the planet slowly. He had detected the force shield way before the power rangers did, but was reluctant to make a move, because Astronama's traps are deadly, and one wrong move could mean the end for Cassie.  
  
He ran the scans again. The shield proved solid, allowing nothing much bigger than a human to enter, and once in, the person most likely could not teleport out. The force generator was probably inside, which meant the shield could only be broken from within, either with the destruction of the generator itself, or by a powerful enough explosion that would upset the energy balance. The phantom planned to do the first.  
  
Nevertheless, he took precautions. His ship only had one missile. A very powerful one that's rarely seen and never used. It was kept in good condition, however. The phantom turned on the auto target and aimed it at the coordinates of the force shield, then set the controls to synchronize with his morpher.  
  
Let's hope it doesn't come to that, he thought.  
  
~*~  
  
A flash of light, then a very painful "thud". A bit of time passed before Adele forced her eyes open and prayed that nothing broke. She was greeted by a chilly feeling. Not far from her, Bulk, Skull, and Professor Phenomenus lay in a pile, half conscious.  
  
The professor moved first. "Ohhhh..." he groaned. "Get off of me, you two!"  
  
Bulk and Skull sat up sluggishly, untangling themselves from each other and looked around.  
  
"Hey, Bulky," Skull said. "Where are we?"  
  
The professor slapped him upside the side. "Where do you think we are?" he said. "We've been captured by aliens!"  
  
"We did?" Bulk said. "Why aren't they probing us?"  
  
Adele rolled her eyes. It never stopped with these three. She studied the room, although it was more like a cave. The floor was steel, but the walls seemed to be of natural rock. There was a little light coming from the gateway across the room. Two aliens (she couldn't think of a better word) were guarding it. The huge blades they held looked threatening.  
  
A hand on her shoulder made her jump. "Are you hurt?" a soft voice asked.  
  
Adele turned and in the dim light saw a petite figure, most likely a young woman, dressed in pink kneeling behind her. She had a familiar helmet on.  
  
"Are you hurt?" the woman asked again.  
  
"Are you..." Adele mumbled in surprise.  
  
"Pink ranger, yes," the woman (or girl, Adele suddenly realized) said before she could finish. Apparently she heard that a lot.  
  
Adele shook herself and smiled. "I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't catch on for a bit. I'm Adele and I don't think I belong here."  
  
"Nobody belongs here. Now, since I'm not suppose to tell you my name," the pink ranger said with a silver of good humor. "You can call me whatever you want."  
  
The three stooges had gotten up by this time, and were staring in their direction.  
  
"Hey Bulky!" Skull poked his partner. "Look Bulky! A power ranger!"  
  
"I see that," Bulk said. "Stop poking me."  
  
"So how did you guys get here?" The pink ranger said. She settled herself on the floor beside Adele with some effort. Adele noticed that the girl favored her right leg. She was about to ask if the ranger was hurt when the professor cried his most well-known word.  
  
"Aliens!!" he said. "Aliens brought us here! They want to experiment on us! Remove our brains! Make us their slaves!"  
  
Adele made a frustrated sound. "Just ignore them, honey," she said to the pink ranger. "They're missing a couple of marbles upstairs."  
  
The ranger laughed. "Hate to disappoint you, guys," she said to the professor. "But no one's gonna remove your brain."  
  
"They came for us!" Skull said. "They just came. There was a yellow one, a black one, and a red one and they..."  
  
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," the pink ranger said. "Yellow one? Black one? Red one? Those are the psycho rangers! They brought me here, too." She spread her arms and gestured at the cold cell. "Welcome to Psycho Base Number Three," she said. "Home of the insane and the inane."  
  
"Hope you don't mind me asking," Adele said curiously. "But how old are you? No one over 18 has liked when I call them 'honey'."  
  
"I'm sixteen," the pink ranger said. The other four stared at her in surprise. "I'm the youngest of the team. The others are a year or two older than me."  
  
"Incredible," Adele breathed. She could almost see the innocent, playful smile that formed under the helmet.  
  
~*~ 


	6. For Your Love

Ch. 6  
  
Several hours passed. Cassie spent the majority of it talking to Adele, telling her about the rangers' adventures and battles, carefully omitting names, of course. Adele, who didn't get out of the country much, not to mention the galaxy, found all of it intriguing. Even Bulk, Skull, and the nutty professor sat still and listened. But after a while, they huddled in the far corner and fell asleep, leaving Cassie alone with Adele. Feeling much more at peace than when she first arrived, the pink ranger told of her most recent experience with the red psycho ranger.  
  
"So he totally tricked me," she said. "He used me when I was down and now I'm here while my friends are probably walking into some trap that Astronama laid for them."  
  
"Well honey, that's just bad luck," Adele said. "But you really gotta admit, you shouldn't have left yourself vulnerable just because of that phantom fellow you told me about earlier."  
  
"I know, I know," Cassie said. "I really want to forget about him. I mean, I don't even know him. But it's hard. How do you stop loving someone?" She looked at Adele. "I know I shouldn't call it love," she said after a pause. "It's probably just a crush but it hurts just the same."  
  
Adele gave her a motherly smile that warmed Cassie all over. "A girl like yourself," Adele said. "Don't need a man to be the best you can be."  
  
"BANG!"  
  
Bulk, Skull, and Professor Phenomonus jerked from their sleep. They sat up and looked toward the sound, as did Cassie and Adele. The metal gate had opened. Psycho Red walked in. He turned and dismissed the Quantrons and closed the gate behind him.  
  
"Ahhh! Alien!" Bulk and Skull screamed and cowered further into the corner. Adele eased herself away from the gate slowly and joined them.  
  
Cassie didn't move. "What do you want?" she said emotionlessly. "You had me, why did you take these innocent people?"  
  
Psycho Red suddenly reached out and pulled her to her feet by her arm and pressed her against the wall with such force that she uttered a pained cry.  
  
"I didn't want to do that," he said in a low voice. "But Astronama may be watching."  
  
Cassie uttered a dry laugh. "Oh yes," she said. "That's right. You're still her lap dog. Now let me ask again: what do you want? Did you come just to scare these people by roughing up a girl that's a foot shorter than you?"  
  
Her impertinence angered Psycho Red, but it also made him excited. She had even more spunk in times of danger, and he liked that.  
  
"I am nobody's lap dog," he said. "And I have no interest in these worthless creatures. I came to see you."  
  
Adele immediately caught onto that. Bulk, Skull, and Professor Phenomenus, who never had a clue to begin with, simply hid back further and whimpered.  
  
"Don't you think this little joke is a bit old?" Cassie said flatly, staring the red psycho straight in the eye.  
  
"It was no joke," Psycho Red lowered his voice so that Adele couldn't make it out anymore. "I do care for you and I didn't mean for you to be here."  
  
Cassie breathed sharply. Could she trust him? Surely not... but... no! She turned her face away from him defiantly and summoned every ounce of hatred she had for him.  
  
"You're wasting your breath," she said with bitter disdain.  
  
For a moment she thought nothing was going to happen. Then the psycho ranger's eyes turned an angry red, then purple. Two bolts of energy shot out at her. It was like been zapped by a hundred cattle prods at once. The pink ranger's tortured scream was cut short when she fell onto the metal floor in a heap.  
  
~*~  
  
Psycho Red had not meant to hurt her. She drove me to it, he thought desperately as the pink ranger went limp in his hands. A little surprised himself, he let go and stepped back. Cassie fell heavily onto the metal floor. Thin trials of smoke drifted up from the circuits of her helmet that have been fried. Several holes had been burned on her uniform, exposing bits of skin, now covered with burns and scorches.  
  
What have I done?  
  
He thought about turning and walking away. After all, no one on his side was going to condemn him for frying a power ranger. But he couldn't bring himself to leave her like this. Not until he was sure she was O.K.  
  
The red psycho ranger bent down and gently turned the pink ranger over onto her back. He breathed in relief when he saw her drawing shallow breathes. Then he noticed the lower part of her helmet. A hole had been drilled into it. Part of her face was exposed. Her cheek was severely burned, leaving a black patch of dead skin. Fresh blood was oozing out slowly, sliding down her cheek as that tear had when he first saw her.  
  
Psycho Red was filled with regret. I'm so stupid, he thought. Why did I do this? He reached out and touched the wound carefully, examining it, eyeing it carefully. His look drifted onto her body, lying there, helpless but so full of grace and beauty. His lingering hand moved down her slender neck, then to her tender breasts, caressing them, savoring them, then her legs, so powerful yet so delicate.  
  
If he could produce tears, he would cry.  
  
~*~  
  
Adele gave a little shriek as the terrifying alien shot the pink ranger with his power. She watched, frightened, as the young girl shook as if having seizures, then began to scream, a terrible sound that Adele wouldn't have heard in her most horrible dream. "Oh my god," she whispered.  
  
"What happened?" Professor Phenomenus asked. Bulk and Skull were too scared to answer.  
  
Adele didn't hear him. She watched as the alien creature (psycho ranger, she called him a psycho ranger, she remembered) stepped back and left the pink ranger fall onto the floor. For a moment there was silence. The psycho ranger seemed indecisive for a second, then bent down and began to check the damage.  
  
She couldn't have lived after that, Adele thought wildly. She couldn't.  
  
But the pink ranger did. As the psycho ranger turned her over, Adele saw that her chest was rising and lowering laboriously slow. One of her hands twitched once, but nothing more.  
  
The psycho ranger was still for a very long time, looking at the fallen girl. Then he carefully touched her face, then her neck, her breast, and her legs, as if in a trance, the way a love struck child would his sleeping girlfriend.  
  
Adele was confused. She watched this from across the cell, trying to put it together. "Hey!" she called. "What do you think you're doing? Haven't you hurt her enough?"  
  
There was a terrible moment when she thought that the psycho ranger would seize her and do what he did to the pink ranger. But he didn't. He didn't even look up, but continued to stroke the pink ranger gently.  
  
"I didn't mean to hurt her," he said softly, as if in a dream. "Just like I didn't mean to hurt her before."  
  
Adele was numb. She looked around and saw Bulk, Skull and Professor Phenomenus staring at her, dumbfound. Apparently they had heard and were straining whatever brains they had to take it in.  
  
Suddenly the metal gate slammed open. Adele wasn't sure if she saw something or not, but some strange force went straight for the psycho ranger and practically knocked him into the air. He fell with a grunt just two feet away from the foursome. Bulk and Skull uttered short screamed. Adele shrunk back.  
  
The same force that had struck the psycho ranger was now pinning him to the floor. When Adele looked again, it had solidified into a shadowy figure. She knew right away who this was.  
  
The phantom ranger clamped his hand around Psycho Red's throat, pushing him down as the other tried to break free. "Don't you ever touch her like that again," he said dangerously. 


	7. Pink Princess

Ch. 7  
  
Psycho Red was more surprised than hurt. One minute he was kneeling next to Cassie, the next he was on the floor, struggling against some unseen weight. A hand was clasped as his throat. He gasped for breath when a voice said, "don't you ever touch her like that again."  
  
The psycho ranger watched as a form solidified on top of him. A tall figure in black armor, with a red ruby glowing at its chest. He as once knew who this was.  
  
Summoning all his strength, Psycho Red put a well-placed kick squarely in the attacker's midsection. The pressure on his throat let up as the other stumbled back and he at once jumped to his feet, instinctively drawing a battle position.  
  
The phantom ranger also got to his feet. Something about him showed that he must be very miffed underneath his helmet. He cast a glance at Cassie and noticed the bloody hole on her cheek.  
  
"What did you do to her?" he asked angrily.  
  
"It was an accident," Psycho Red said. "Not that it's any business of yours." With a wave, bolts of lightning shot out of his fingers, straight at the phantom, who dodged out of the way.  
  
"From what I've heard and seen," the phantom said. "You're even lower than I thought." He pulled out his own blaster and fired at the psycho ranger. Sparks bounced off the walls of the cave like firecrackers. The four humans in the corner hurried to duck for cover.  
  
"You pathetic do-gooder," the red psycho ranger replied when the sparks cleared. "She will never be yours."  
  
"I don't wish to own her," the phantom charged his gun and prepared to fire again. "I wish to love her. Look it up in the dictionary, scumbag, there's a difference."  
  
Psycho Red's eyes glowed in rage. "Let's see how noble you are when there's nothing left of you but scrap metal," he said and prepared to attack.  
  
A clapping sound suddenly came. They both turned toward the gate. Astronama stood there with an amused expression on her face. She was clapping.  
  
"Very good, boys," she said. "That was very entertaining."  
  
"Astronama." The phantom whispered. He straightened up and raised his voice. "Let her go," he said sternly. "She can't do you any good."  
  
"Ah but that's where you're wrong," Astronama said. She took a step closer. "I'll make you a deal, phantom ranger."  
  
There was an unmistakable slyness in her voice that made the phantom ranger uneasy. "What kind of deal?" he asked.  
  
"Well," Astronama walked over to the unconscious pink ranger, looked at her and then back up at the two. "You want her, don't you?" she said. "So, if you can beat Psycho Red here, you can have her." She gestured to the frightened foursome in the corner. "I'll even through in those humans."  
  
The phantom didn't say anything.  
  
"But if you lose," Astronama continued. "I keep her, them, plus you. And as for what happens to her, I can't say, but you won't care anyway, because you won't be around to see it anyway." She smiled before neither the phantom nor Psycho Red replied. "Have fun."  
  
~*~  
  
Five rangers approached the hill cautiously. Ashley drew a sharp breath.  
  
"I know this place," she said. "We have to be careful." The others nodded.  
  
"Look at this," Zhane said, holding out his tracer. The others gathered and saw a great amount of energy and movement coming from inside the hill itself.  
  
"Something's happening," Carlos said. "We better hurry."  
  
~*~  
  
The phantom ranger was exhausted. Psycho Red came at him tirelessly, issuing blows like a tornado. At first, the phantom had held him off, even approaching victory once or twice, but the psycho ranger was very fast and extremely strong. He fought like clockwork, never slowing or missing a single move.  
  
What is he made off? The phantom thought blindly as the psycho ranger did a beautiful high jump over him and landed in a steady battle position. They faced each other again. Tension was so thick in the air you could cut it with a knife. Astronama smiled. She loved confrontations.  
  
More and more, the phantom fell. But he got up again each time, no matter how much his muscles protested. With each hit he took, he thought he had lost, but found the strength to keep going.  
  
Finally, he could fight no more. The psycho ranger stood over his in triumph as he knelt, gasping for breath.  
  
"Had enough?" Psycho Red said as he saw he was no doubt the winner.  
  
The phantom ranger didn't answer. He was looking at his morpher. The missile on his ship was just one click away from firing, destroying this cave and everyone in it. That would be the end of the psycho ranger, as well as Astronama.  
  
Then he saw Cassie, laying on the floor on her back, so vulnerable and lovely. She wouldn't give up, he thought. She never gives up. He thought of her friend.  
  
They counted on me to rescue her. I'm not going to let them down.  
  
The phantom looked up at the red psycho ranger. "Not even close," he said, and in the second he back in action.  
  
~*~  
  
Psycho Red was go close to victory he could taste it. At first the phantom had been a rather difficult opponent, but after a while he began to tire and slowed down. Some time late, he was just defending and barely attacking. Still, the guy had guts to last the long, Psycho Red had to admit that.  
  
Finally, the phantom fell to his knees after another series of exchanged blows. This time he stayed down, breathing hard, and didn't look like he could get up. Psycho Red was jubilant. Triumph was near.  
  
Smugly, he approached the phantom and said, "Had enough?"  
  
For a moment there was no response. The red psycho ranger prepared to finish the phantom off with one last blast. Suddenly, his opponent look up and said, "Not even close."  
  
They were fighting again. The other seemed to have gotten a second wind, and was coming more forcefully than ever. But it didn't last long. Soon, the psycho ranger had forced the phantom into a corner. The phantom scrambled for his weapon and began to charge it in a desperate attempt to fight Psycho Red off. The psycho ranger almost laughed at this. Pathetic thing, he thought. I have already won.  
  
Won what? A small voice in his head suddenly said. He halted and looked around. There were the four humans huddled in a corner, frightened beyond belief. Astronama stood at the gate, watching the way one would a cockfight.  
  
Then there was Cassie. He suddenly remembered the short hours that they had spent together, laughing, talking. And the kiss. Abruptly, he knew everything. Even if he won, Astronama would never let him have Cassie. And if he were to win, the pink ranger will be destroyed in the worst way possible, and so will her friends. She was right, he realized. If he defeats the phantom, he has truly turned into Astronama's lap dog, forever doomed to lick her boots and paddled beside her in darkness.  
  
I owe you, Cassie, he thought. I owe you so much.  
  
The phantom ranger had fully charged his weapon and was aiming it at Psycho Red. The psycho ranger made a movement as if to block it, but when the phantom fired, he stepped swiftly, opened his arms, and welcomed the blast.  
  
The last thing he saw was her. Laying there, her body so delicately beautiful, almost as lovely as her spunky spirit and bright mind. She was the light in his darkness, the sunbeam in his world of shadows. His dream. His goddess. His princess.  
  
~*~  
  
ATTENTION READERS:  
  
First of all, thanks for reading. As I was writing this story, I first intended that Psycho Red never really loved Cassie, but lusted for her and wanted to dominate her. But it turned out as the story went on, he turned out to be a nice person and really cared about her. So there are two endings, both picking up from this point. Ch.8, Cassie ends up with the phantom. Ch.9, Cassie ends up with Psycho Red. They'll be posted hopefully on the same day. Enjoy! 


	8. Ending I

Ch. 8 Ending I  
  
THIS IS THE FIRST ENDING.  
  
A soft touch on her brow brought Cassie to consciousness. She opened her eyes halfway. Everything appeared blurry to her for a moment.  
  
Am I dead? She thought stupidly for a moment.  
  
Then it all came back to her, a bit at a time. Psycho Red, Adele, Astronama, Bulk and Skull and the crazy professor, the little cell in the mountains. She slowly remembered the red psycho ranger talking to her, tell her he cared about her. Her heart had skipped a beat at that, but she had ignored it. Then what? Oh yes, he lost his temper. It's all a blank after that.  
  
The pink ranger forced her eyes open all the way. There was comforting light all around her, and she was no long on a hard floor, but a soft bed. A friendly hand moved away from her forehead. She turned and felt a soft ache in her neck.  
  
The phantom ranger sat in a chair next to her. From the looks of it, he'd been there a very long time. Despite the pain in her limps, Cassie tried to sit up.  
  
The phantom reached out and gently pushed her down. "Don't move," he said. "You're not all patched up yet." He leaned forward on the edge of her bed. "Feeling better?" he asked.  
  
"What happened?" Cassie asked. "How long has it been?" Her voice was no more than a soft croak. She looked down at herself and saw that she had bandages all around her arms and legs. Several soft red scars were crisscrossed on her body, where the medical lasers had been applied. Her fingers went up to her face and she felt a bump where the psycho ranger had hit her.  
  
"About fifty-six hours," the phantom replied. He reached over and pushed a button on the ship's intercom. "Rangers, she's awake," he said.  
  
A few second later, the med bay's door slid open. Ashley came in first, followed by Andros, Zhane, and Carlos. T.J. was last. He pushed a cart with flowers and some food on it. Cassie smiled. She was so glad to see them.  
  
"How are you?" Zhane asked as he joined the phantom at her side.  
  
"Good as can be expected," Cassie said softly. She looked at the food on her cart. "I don't think I can eat," she said.  
  
"Don't worry," T.J. said pleasantly. "It can wait."  
  
"Glad to have you back, Cassie," Zhane said, smiling broadly.  
  
"Yeah," Andros followed. "When we first found you, we almost thought you wouldn't make it. Guess you proved us wrong."  
  
Ashley came to the side of the bed and squeezed her friend's bandaged hand carefully. "Thank god you're OK," she said.  
  
Cassie squeezed back, as much as she could manage anyway. "What happened?" she asked again. "How did I get out? And Adele... and the rest of them... are they OK?"  
  
"They're fine," the phantom said. He told her about the battle between him and Psycho Red. "When he was destroyed," he said, "Astronama tried to get to you, but the whole cave was crumbling in and there wasn't enough time, so she fled and left the rest of us. The energy shield was weakened but I couldn't get all of us out together." He looked at the other rangers gratefully. "If your friends hadn't shown up, we'd all be buried right now."  
  
Cassie gazed at him. The phantom noticed how bright her eyes were, even when she's wounded. "Thank you," she said. "Thank you so much." For a moment she seemed to be zoned out, staring into space, then she spoke again. "That Psycho Red," she said slowly, "I can't believe I fell for his trick."  
  
The other rangers looked at each other. Finally, the phantom spoke again.  
  
"He sacrificed his life for you, Cassie," his words seemed like a dream to her. He told her how he had won the battle that he should have lost. "Adele wanted me to tell you that he wanted you to know he never meant to hurt you."  
  
The pink ranger didn't move for several seconds. Then, slowly, she turned her face away from the other rangers. Andros tapped the other rangers and they moved out of the room, leaving Cassie alone.  
  
Cassie didn't notice. Her eyes were brimming with shiny tears.  
  
~*~  
  
"Are you leaving again?" the pink ranger asked. She had recovered almost completely in the last few days. Now, she and the phantom ranger were walking down the halls of the Astro Megaship, his strong arm around her shoulders.  
  
"I'm afraid so," he said. "We are at war, and I can't afford to leave my post any longer."  
  
Cassie stopped. She turned and faced him. "Is it always going to be like this?" she asked. "Are we going to keep popping in and out of each other's lives? Not knowing whether we'll ever meet again?" Her eyes lowered for a moment. "I love you," she blurted out.  
  
The phantom pulled her into his arms and held her close. If he were out of his army, she would hear his heart beating faster than the wind. "I love you, too," he said. "You have no idea how much."  
  
Cassie pulled away just enough to look into his helmet. "Are you going to show me who you are?" she said.  
  
The phantom sighed. "In time, beloved," he said. "In the time of war, it is too dangerous, even here. Even to you. But when the war is over, I will come back to you, and you will know all your heart desires."  
  
The pink ranger wasn't completely satisfied with that. "How will I know if you will return?" she asked. "After all, this is war, and people die in wars. There's no guarantee that you or me will survive."  
  
The phantom thought about that for a minute. "Wait here," he suddenly said, and walked off before Cassie answered. When he returned, he held a simple golden ring. He took Cassie's hand and placed it on her middle finger. At first it was a rather loose fit, but the ring, as soon as it was on her hand, began to shrink, until it fit perfectly, and began to slow a soft warm light.  
  
"That is my promise," the phantom said. "As long as the ring glows, I will come back to you. Should it stop..." he held Cassie's hand in his "then you will know that even though my body will no return, my spirit is out there somewhere, still longing for you."  
  
~*~  
  
Night came. All across the ship, there was not a single sound save for D.E.C.A.'s soft clicking as she kept up the ship's securities.  
  
Cassie slept peacefully in her bunk, the ring on her hand glowing like a star. A few feet from her, a shadow stood, watching over her.  
  
"I may never win you," said Psycho Red. He was a ghost, like his teammates before him. "But I will love you none the less." 


	9. Ending II

Ch. 9  
  
THIS PICKS UP FROM THE END OF CHAPTER 7. IT HAS NO ASSOCIATION WITH CH. 8. IT IS A DIFFERENT ENDING OPTION.  
  
Cassie Chan stopped by the lake. The sun was setting near the horizon, and she hasn't missed a sunset for the last six month.  
  
The final confrontation had taken place exactly ten month ago. Since then, a lot has changed. Earth has made a leap into the Galactic Alliance and was working on becoming a more active member. The previous rangers had been revealed, and were now ambassadors between the planets. A few weeks ago, Cassie had met up with Kat, the previous pink ranger. Kat was happily engaged to Tommy, and the two were heading for a distant planet to help set up an Earth representatives head quarter. Cassie was happy for her friend. She wished she could be happy for herself.  
  
She had met up with the phantom ranger, who turned out to be a handsome young duke of Eltare named Corean. He had declared his love for her and asked her to come help him rebuild his home on Eltare. There was a time when she would have jumped at the offer, but somehow she found she had no feelings for him. She told him so politely and he accepted. They were still friend. Corean was on Eltare and she was here. They kept in contact and exchanged business information. Every now and then they visited each other and hung out as old friends. But that was all.  
  
About six month ago, when she was properly stationed at an Earth contact base in Angel Grove, Cassie began to come to the lake everyday. She would sit on the grass and watch the sunset alones. Sometimes she would stay until the moon was shining. And every time she was here she thought about him.  
  
Today she missed him the most. Cassie didn't know why, but he's been on her mind all day. She felt as if he was near, and he might come to her as if he'd never left at all. She closed her eyes. He was gone, and she knew that, but dreams had nothing to do with facts, and dreams were all she had left of him.  
  
"May I join you?" a voice came from somewhere. Cassie didn't really want company, but she shrugged.  
  
"Sure," she said and opened her eyes. For a minute she thought she might still be dreaming as the newcomer sat down next to her.  
  
"Hi," he said matter-of-factly.  
  
"Oh my god," she whispered. In front of her was the guy she had thought about for the last ten month.  
  
"Do I look that bad?" The dark-hair young man said with a good-humored smile.  
  
"No...I...how..." Cassie stammered.  
  
"How it happened? I'm not sure myself," the young man said. "When Zordon's energy was released across the universe, all that was evil was supposed destroyed, and all that was good was given a new beginning. I guess I turned out to be one of the good guys." He looked at her. "I'm not complaining, mind you," he continued. "I've missed you."  
  
Cassie was shocked, then she threw her arms around him and he did the same to her. They held each other for a moment, then Cassie drew back a bit and asked, "where have you been all this time?"  
  
"Wandering," he said. "I got this human body but I still had some powers. So I went and created myself an identity." He pulled out a card and handed it to her. Cassie took it. It was a driver's license. On it was his picture, and the first of the words were:  
  
Name: Raymond Pyke  
  
Age: 20  
  
"Wow," she breathed. "So you're legit." She fondled with the card for a bit. "The phantom..." she said. "He told me what you did for me. Thank you."  
  
He reached over and touched a spot on her face gently. There was a small scar on her cheek. It was smooth and shiny, in the shape of a crescent moon. "I only repaid my debt to you," he said. "So I take it you're with him now?"  
  
Cassie paused for a moment. "No," she said. "I've found that I had no more room in my heart for him. It's taken up by someone else."  
  
She handed the driver's license back to him. Their hands linked for a minute and did not part. "What now?" she asked.  
  
"Now," he said. "Let's erase the past. Let's pretend that you were never a power ranger, and I was never a psycho ranger. Let's pretend that we are two people, meeting in the part for the first time." He held Cassie's hand with both of his and gazed into her amazing eyes. "I'll ask you to do something," he continued. "We'll spend the afternoon together. Laughing, talking, and maybe share a few kisses. Then I'll take you out to dinner, and dessert after." Cassie leaned on him and put her face in the hollow of his neck. He slipped his arms around her and felt her body against his. She was crying softly. Tears of joy slowing slipped down her face.  
  
"Then we'll come here," he kept talking, afraid that if he stopped, his tears might join hers. "We'll sit, watch the sunset, then I'll ask you, 'what are you doing for the rest of your life?'" 


End file.
